Popovich close to nailing down starting five

MEXICO CITY — The starting lineup Spurs coach Gregg Popovich trotted out south of the border Tuesday was the same as the one he’s used north of it.

But three games into the preseason, Popovich isn’t ready to commit to Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair as his opening-day starting five.

He’s feeling better about it by the day, though.

“I want to give it a look and see how I feel about it,” Popovich said before the Spurs’ victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at Palacio de los Deportes. “I might make a different lineup for a couple of games, or I might leave it the same if I like it. It’s a little early to say, but I like what I’ve seen so far.”

The most significant moving part is not likely to be Ginobili, a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, but Blair, a 6-foot-7 second-year center.

Popovich was hesitant to pair Blair with Duncan at times last season, preferring to play his All-Star power forward with big men who can spread the floor.

Can Duncan and Blair co-exist? Popovich need only look at his 2007 NBA title team, which often paired Fabricio Oberto with Duncan in the frontcourt.

“If Timmy can play with Fab, he can play with DB,” Popovich said. “Those guys are similar, in that neither were really shooters.”

Splitter update: Injured rookie Tiago Splitter hopes to be ready to play when his old Spanish League team, Caja Laboral, visits the AT&T Center for an exhibition game Saturday.

Nursing a strained muscle in his right calf, Splitter also knows it’s not up to him.

“The pain will tell me when to play,” Splitter said.

Injured the third day of training camp, the much-anticipated Brazilian center has yet to make his preseason debut. He has been ruled out for the two-game trip that concludes Thursday against Cleveland in Pittsburgh and is considered very doubtful for Saturday’s game as well.

Before Tuesday’s game against the Clippers, Splitter did some light work with shooting coach Chip Engelland, but was back in street clothes before official warm-ups began.

Fashion show: Adidas’ new “Revolution 30” uniforms, introduced throughout the league this season, are drawing rave reviews in the Spurs’ locker room.

Made with recycled materials, the new duds are billed to be lighter than that their predecessors and are said to dry twice as fast.

“Hopefully, I’ll run a lot faster in them,” guard George Hill said. “I think it’s going to be great, as far as absorbing sweat and things like that.”